Tag Archive of: customer review

Travel woes: customer chronicles

Ah, it's summer. That's when we as customers are all in a great mood. We go on vacation and show off the best of ourselves. Right? Or not...

I received these reviews from a guide who toured us around Jamaica over eight years ago and I have to laugh and cry at the same time. Sometimes we humans can be a bunch of jerks. These are real reviews she received from the tour operator. Long live open feedback that you can get from reviews and surveys.

I've compiled the eleven worst ones for you.

1. 'It should be forbidden to sunbathe topless on the beach. My husband was very distracted by it; he just wanted to relax, and that didn't happen.'

2, 'We went on vacation to Spain and had a problem with the taxi drivers. We couldn't understand them because they all spoke Spanish.'

3. 'The beach was just too sandy. We had to clean and de-sand everything when we returned to our room.'

4, 'We discovered that the sand was not like the sand in the brochure. Your brochure shows the sand as white, but it was more yellow in reality.'

5. 'No one told us there would be fish in the water. The fish scared our children.'

6. 'The roads were uneven and bumpy, so during the bus ride to the resort, we couldn't read the local travel guide. This meant we were unaware of many things that would have made our vacation much more enjoyable.'

7. 'I compared the size of our one-bedroom suite to that of our friends' three-bedroom suite. And ours was significantly smaller.'

8. "We had to wait outside in line to catch the boat, and there was no air conditioning. We were very disappointed by that.'

9. "It is your duty as a tour operator to inform us about noisy or unruly guests before we travel.

10. "My fiancé and I had requested two separate beds when we booked, but instead, we were given a room with a king-size bed. We hold you and your organization responsible and want compensation for the fact that I became pregnant. This wouldn't have happened if you had given us the room we booked.'

11. "I was bitten by a mosquito. The brochure didn't mention mosquitoes.'

What should you do when you receive this kind of feedback in your own surveys? I'd just do nothing. These people deserve zero attention. You wouldn't even wish these customers on your competitors.

 

This blog was written for CustomerFirst and published on September 5, 2023

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The red carpet

Let's take a trip back in time. I believe it was somewhere around 1999. I was working at AMEV as a Life inspector, and I refinanced my mortgage. As an employee, I received a nice discount on the mortgage interest rate, and I gladly took advantage of that perk. A few years later, I decided to renovate my home, and once again, AMEV was a great resource for me.

Within AMEV, there was a special office for employees, where everything was taken care of when it came to obtaining a mortgage. Coffee was ready, you could always drop by if you had questions, and communication regarding paperwork and the notary was well taken care of. There wasn't literally a red carpet rolled out, but it certainly felt that way. As employees, we were well taken care of.

As a Life Inspector, I was responsible for a large area, from the east of Utrecht to the German border, and I helped intermediaries choose AMEV for mortgages and pensions. Time zones might be getting mixed up now, but I do remember that my clients - the intermediaries - weren't too pleased with our mortgages processing. The communication was unclear. Their clients didn't understand our letters. It took a long time for official quotes to arrive. There were issues with sending documents to the notary.

I couldn't understand it. Weren't we doing everything right? I truly believed that AMEV provided the red-carpet treatment to customers. Because that was my own experience. In Customer Experience, we call that the 'n=1 situation'. My own experience would also be that of our customers and their customers. Additionally, at that time, I didn't realize that I had an inside-out perspective and was heavily influenced by the 'curse of knowledge'. The what?! I possessed much more knowledge about mortgages, legislation, and processes than the customer obtaining a mortgage. That's what you call the 'curse of knowledge'. As a result, I couldn't empathize with someone lacking that knowledge. I lacked an outside-in perspective.

I accompanied an intermediary to one of his clients and immediately saw where we were going wrong. The red-carpet applied only to employees. But I also immediately saw the potential for improvement. 

That's precisely why I urge everyone to go on customer visits themselves. Step out of your own processes, systems, and mindsets, and see the world through the eyes of the customer. Wherever the customer is. At the company or simply at home. Identify where customers' needs lie, what keeps them awake at night, and where the real potential for improvement lies. Who knows, you might also see where your organization can provide that red-carpet feeling to customers.

 

This blog was written for CustomerFirst and published on July 4, 2023

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Nienke's five-star hotel experience - learned CX lessons

Seven lessons from this not-so-good customer experience...

This is an interesting topic: how to personalize occasions such as birthdays, wedding days and anniversaries? It all starts with understanding your customer. What are their expectations?

I had a good conversation with my friend Raymond Brunyanszki, the business owner of Camden Harbor Inn in the US. A Relais & Chateaux hotel and restaurant, where luxury and personal attention are key to keeping guests coming back. He told me that they ask their customers for special days. They found a way to systematize expectations and then translate these into solutions in operations.

This is what I would suggest the CX leader of the Waldorf Astoria:

  1. Determine in the CX strategy how important special moments and tailoring to guest needs actually are. In my opinion, in luxury, it is extremely important. Because good food or a great spa, can only be topped by personal attention. So clarity in strategy is key.
  2. Ask guests when booking if there are any special days or wishes. So that the staff knows this in advance. This way, they can anticipate these moments and organise some memorable experiences at these moments.
  3. Make sure the CRM system recognises these special days. I am a Hilton Honors member and they know my date of birth. So on the day itself, the system could have given a certain mention, that at least during check out, the employee would have seen it was my birthday and could have congratulated me.
  4. Make sure you have some branded gifts and a manuscript ready, detailing what to do when. Enable gifting! This way, staff members can easily grab a gift and a notecard from the shelf and present it to the customer. Branded, because if the customer shares a photo on social media, it is also great marketing for you as an organisation.
  5. Train your staff in picking up on signs, when special moments occur. Make them alert.
  6. In the morning, add special moments in the start up huddles at the operation teams. Do we have guests with special moments, who need a little extra attention today? If there is attention in the team and maybe even some gamification is added, it becomes a sport to exceed the guests' expectations.
  7. What if you missed the mark? It happens. Don't just ask at check-out, "Did you have a pleasant stay?" Almost everyone says yes, and you won't get valuable information that way. Instead, ask "What could we have done better, that would have made your stay even more enjoyable?" That is genuine curiosity and helps you truly learn where to improve as an organization.

So, enough to be learned here. And... maybe you see even more CX pro suggestions. Please share!

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Nienke's five-star hotel experience

For my 50th birthday, I booked a room for two nights at the Waldorf Astoria in Rome. Because I wanted to treat myself, but also because I wanted to make my 50th birthday a special experience. It is a very large hotel, so I had even given myself an upgrade to the Imperial Floor. Bigger rooms, a special lounge with drinks and snacks, but also - I thought - more personal attention.

Was it a fancy hotel? YES.

Did it have a great spa? YES.

Did it have a great outdoor swimming pool with fluffy towels? YES.

Did it have an outstanding breakfast? YES.

Product wise, it was all very good.

But did the hotel pay any personal attention to my 50th birthday? NO.

It was a disappointment. One of my friends from the Netherlands had arranged for a bottle of prosecco, a box of chocolates and a personal note to be delivered to my room on my last night as a 49-year-old. I also mentioned my birthday in the lounge (because I know that most CRM systems fail). But on the morning of my 50th birthday, there was nothing from the hotel to congratulate me. Not in my room, not at breakfast, not in the lounge, not at check-out. Nothing at all. Even though they could have known....

I started wondering. Did five-star luxury hotels become commodity? I don't know, but I do know that if you are a luxury brand that promises a certain level of personal service, this is a big failure. I also shared this story on Linkedin, where many agreed that the hotel missed the mark. But also, some mentioned a possible culture gap. Probably true for Italian birthdays, but the guests at the Waldorf (that I saw) were mostly Americans or English-speaking guests. And I know how important birthdays are for American guests! Even more than for me as a Dutchy.

The interesting thing was that when I checked out, the employee asked if my stay had been pleasant. And it had been, so I indicated that too. This is also where they fell short in asking for feedback. (Be sure to read the CX lens blog where I share my suggestion for them!) And... I didn't receive a survey. So the Waldorf staff can only read about my experience on LinkedIn now (or in this blog).

Why did I post this on LinkedIn? Not because I wanted to get this solved. Because if I had wanted to, I would have called the hotel, or sent a 'complaint'. No, it's more a question for us as CX professionals. What do you do with these special days? Especially in leisure industry. Or was I, as a guest, expecting too much? I posted this message to share, to learn and to get the conversation going.

So, go over to the next blog, to see the point of view from a CX professional lens!

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How to handle customer surveys well - CX lessons learned from TESO

As CX professionals, we often send out customer surveys. Or maybe we don't even send them, but we use the content for metrics or for customer quotes. Or to learn where to improve in our customer journeys.

I know that many CX professionals are not responsible for closing the loop. Which is a pity, because it is actually a very important topic. You can truly impact the customer experience and make a difference in your customers life. This is where too many companies go wrong. So, if you get it right, you diversify from the rest.

Lessons to learn and actions to take:

A. The strategic lens:

  1. Responsibility. Find out who is responsible for closing the loop. If no one is responsible, make sure you arrange the conversation and responsibility.
  2. Leadership commitment. Align leadership on the topic. Do they find it acceptable that you don’t react to surveys or reviews? Let them trip over the truth, so they find out themselves how your company is handling feedback. This way you create the buy in you need.
  3. Future experiences. Determine how closing the loop fits your company’s strategic goals and how you want to act accordingly. Are there certain segments of customers you do want to respond to or not? Do you focus on bringing detractors to neutrals, or neutrals to promoters? Bring the strategic lens and have those valuable conversations.
  4. Business case: Yes, you must calculate what it will cost, to start handling the feedback. Or maybe start a pilot to see what the impact is, so you can calculate the ROI later.

B. The tactical lens:

  1. Why - Describe clearly why you are doing what you are doing. This way you can explain to the team members how closing the loop fits into the company's strategy. What the benefits are. What went wrong in the past. How this will help towards the future.
  2. Who - Who is actually going to act on the feedback? Is it the web care team, or the contact center? Plan time and have a conversation with Work Force Management if appropriate. The who is often ignored. But also think of the who in customers. Is it the zeros and ones you come back to? Or the neutrals? Or just the people who complain? Make it very specific.
  3. What - Describe what to do. Maybe a little script is needed. Always apologize, fix the problem, and do something extra. What can your colleagues do as a little gift? Help them out, by giving the framework on what is expected. Arrange the logging in the CRM system.
  4. When - Do you call the customer the day after the feedback? Do you do that in the morning? How many times do you try? But also, do you need to report on progress? Describe all, so you get it right in the long run.

C. The operational lens:

a. This is just about doing it. Calling customers. Fixing problems. Celebrating successes. Getting others involved.

I suggest you think big and start small. Choose a pilot project. Experiment. That will lead up to your big success in the long run.

At the ferry service they gave it their primary focus (I checked afterwards). They had training how to handle feedback and made a little game out of it. They took pride in solving issues and getting back to customers. They arranged it and acted on it. As a customer I felt it. Now it is up to you to do the same

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Group ticket - learned CX lessons

If you are a customer who books a large number of tickets, you are probably a B2B customer. But in this case, I was not. Still, in such a case, you want to feel a bit special. I book 13 tickets! That must be a good deal for the company, right? Better than 1 plane ticket, right?!
I didn't feel a thing about this whole transaction. It was difficult, process-oriented and I even felt unclear. Because, do I have the tickets or not! There is no portal where I can see if my booking was successful.

Looking at this process with my CX-glasses on, I have four ideas how to improve:

  1. Step into the shoes of your customer.
    Try booking a group ticket yourself. See how long it takes to get an offer. Experience the waiting time on the phone. Print out the offer and the contract. See how ugly it looks. Find the differences between what is written in the contract and in the e-mail.
  2. Make a shortlist of simple improvements and let a dedicated team pick it up.
    Especially the contract and communication. Add the 'warm customer feeling'. Give me, the customer, the feeling that you are happy with this 13-ticket deal. And see where you can remove ambiguities and add clarity.
  3. Align with other processes that customers are familiar with.
    Align with the convenience of individual processes, especially when it comes to booking an individual ticket. Align the terms and conditions as well. Why do I have more flexibility as an individual than a customer who has booked 13 tickets? Align and design the future. Think about the digital channels, especially if you have problems with waiting times in your customer contact centre.
  4. Share in the organisation, when it comes to customer-centred change.
    I would share this kind of example in the organisation. In the Group Ticket team, these contracts and practices are the norm. People have been working like this for years. They have 'The Curse of Knowledge'. But if you are a customer, like me, who is completely new to this, you feel trapped in the internal jargon and processes. So sharing the need for change and continuing to question daily routines is necessary for shaping a successful future when it comes to changing culture.

This is really about process improvement, but from the lens of the customer. So not just Business Process Redesign, but really stepping into my shoes (that of your ideal customer) and helping me. Customer Journey mapping is the perfect way to do this. Did you know that my colleague Barbara van Duin has a great course to learn this. I took the course myself and recommend it.

I hope everything will work out with the tickets and that my friends, daughter and mother will fly to Bologna on 20 May! Time to experience La Dolce Vita. And then the experience with the group ticket booking will probably be completely forgotten.

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Professional bias

We're on a campsite, in a cottage. And that's not just any campsite, but one that's hip and therefore quickly sold out. The booking already took place last November, bearing in mind that I would be abroad the whole month of June for wonderful speaking assignments and CX master classes. But yes... Suddenly there was corona. And like everyone else, I have been permanently in our beautiful Netherlands since mid-March.

The good news was that we had found a great holiday address. This campground was recommended by many: maybe a bit big, but great. Close to the beach, against the dunes. Lots of opportunities for children to play with sand and water. The reviews were almost too laudatory. I have to be honest: it makes me sceptical. I first want to see with my own eyes if the promises are kept. And what about the customer experience? I also want to experience that for myself.

So... There we went. The first week of construction. The busiest week of the high season in 2020. First I had to see how this campsite was going to live up to that great customer experience.

We were received perfectly. Quick, friendly and clear. We arrived at the cottage, so beautiful that it exceeded our expectations. With good beds and a perfect location: between the dunes, with its own verandah and such a beautiful tent canvas as a roof. We were perplexed.

The first bottle of wine opened, the little one left for the play area with lots of sand and we were regally in the relax mode. First we went through the booklet, with a map and tips, including activity planning.

The following days we had the best conversations with staff members of the campsite. They regularly drove by in electric carts. We were greeted cheerfully, we knew their names were Luuk, Gerard or Daan and little wishes were granted. So I forgot my yoga mat and within half a day I had one in our house. Every morning we received a newspaper, accompanied by a cheerful 'Good morning!'. In such a case I don't manage to be just a 'guest' anymore. Immediately my professional bias pop up as well. How is this arranged? What processes and agreements are made with the staff? I could not control my curiosity and asked Daan. He immediately explained their concept. How they, together with all the staff, colour the last page of the brochure. The page you can't describe, but you have to experience.

How wow is that? Not just thinking about it, but realizing it in the middle of the high season. With processes, agreements and above all: in concrete behaviour. They have me wrapped up as a customer. Spoiled with a very nice holiday customer experience. Chapeau camping. Chapeau staff. We have already booked for 2021.

 

This blog was written for CustomerFirst and published on 22 September 2020

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20 Good Customer Intentions for 2020

Okay, it's the end of January when you read this column. Only I'm writing it now that we've just started the year. And traditionally, we all think of our good intentions for this new year ahead.

I wouldn't be a CX expert if I didn't link those good intentions to customers. That's why I'm giving you a nice overview of 20 Good Customer Intentions. Hopefully, in your organization they are perfectly normal already. Let's check that out.

  1. We don't use small print for things we can't really explain.
  2. We don't do 'no-reply e-mail addresses'. Because it's strange that we as an organization are allowed to talk to a customer, but that the customer is not allowed to say anything in return.
  3. Our surveys are clear and concise and look great.
  4. If a customer fills out a survey, we actually do something with it. We improve our service and provide feedback on what we have done.
  5. We respond to reviews left by the customer.
  6. We like our customers and they experience this in all our customer contacts.
  7. If we promise to call a customer back, then we will.
  8. Of course the customer never has to repeat his or her story, we use our CRM system in such a way that all colleagues know what has been discussed.
  9. If our customer experiences digital problems, we offer an alternative.
  10. We thank the customer, because he has been a customer for many years. If our new customers get a nice offer, then our valued customers get that offer too, of course.
  11. We do not hide our phone number on our website.
  12. Our management regularly works at the 'front end', in order for them to enjoy our customers too.
  13. We might send our customers a card this year. For their birthday, or just because we like to do so.
  14. We will never put a client call on hold for long, not even if we are the tax authorities.
  15. We don't use any annoying waiting music.
  16. If something goes wrong, we apologize sincerely and solve it.
  17. We never blame another organization if something goes wrong, but take the lead ourselves.
  18. Our letters are written in clear understandable language.
  19. We never ask for nines and tens for our services, but we are sincerely curious about every customer experience.
  20. Of course, our contact centre is also open in the evenings and/or weekends, if our customer needs it.

Are there any points in this list that you don't do for customers yet? Then decide to do it differently as of today. Let's get to work. Happy 2020!

 

This blog was written for CustomerFirst and published on 29 January 2020

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The faucet is leaking

I had another one there. Such a letter of confirmation from a service I took. In corporate terminology, I would call it a process letter - one that the system defecates of its own accord because a customer has ordered, changed or cancelled something.

Of course, it is important that these letters come out automated. Because it's not quite nowadays, that there's a room full of typists. Who type these types of letters to measure, based on every customer thing that passes by. But why are these system letters so not contemporary? So distant? And why do they use references I can't reach with my hat? Who came up with them? K-532-Zleven. Or 54352-trxxx. It must have something to do with my customer number, address or date of birth. Or is it a system as complicated and ingenious as car license plates? Someone made up a series, it ran out, so a new series was introduced. Something like that.

But I'm wandering off. I myself have been responsible for customer communication. I know how difficult it is to change these process letters. It's just a huge fucking job. A job that nobody really wants to burn their fingers on. Because it involves quite a bit. It starts with the question: do we use 'you' or 'you' and ends with 'which letter is sent when' and 'where does a possible answer go'? And which words should you use? Words the customer should be able to understand. B1, Jip and Janneke. Oh, well, choices, choices...

Really, no one is eager to do this job in the area of customer communication. And yet... if the faucet leaks, you have to make it (or have it made) and then mop it up. That's where I want to make my point. About that mop. That goes best when the crane is repaired. Otherwise it becomes such a mess. So from today on there will only be letters and e-mails that bring the right message to the right recipient, in the right language and at the right time. And then what? Then it's time to start mopping up: you're going to tackle the process communication. That mega project. Pull out two years for that. At least, I'd say.

The nastiest thing is that you don't get many honourable mentions for this. Because as soon as you're done, the first letter is already outdated. Or does it have a new name. Or a new tone-of-voice. Or a new logo. Or a new director. Because, well, all those letters have to have the right signature... It would make you despondent.

 

This blog was written for CustomerFirst and published on 13 November 2019.

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Customer centricity is everybody’s responsibility

What do you think? A yes or a no? I'm curious. But before I share my opinion, we’ll go for an experiment.

Suppose. You wake up and you are happy. You jump fresh and energized out of your bed. Because you are looking forward to this new day. Full of passion you go to work. You walk into the kitchen of McDonalds, greet your colleagues and start working (after washing your hands; of course!) First order is that of a BigMac. What do you do?

  1. 1. You have done this so many times that you no longer have to look at the picture of this hamburger. But you know exactly what the structure is. Sandwich, sauce, lettuce, tomato, pickle, two hamburgers, a slice of cheese and even more sauce (for the real experts, I hope I'm right). So, you build the hamburger as it should be, put it in the box and there you go: this burger is ready to be eaten.

Or

  1. Today you are going to think outside the box. You have heard your manager talking about autonomy and you are going to make this hamburger even better. A little more sauce, little less meat. Because yes, you consider the environment. Maybe three slices of tomato are a good idea. Just put your passion in it and you're done. Hamburger in the box and there you go: this burger is ready to be eaten.

What do you do: 1 or 2? I hope you chose for scenario 1, because that is exactly what the customer expects. Hopefully the hamburger will be handed over to the customer with a big smile in order to create a great customer experience.

Because that is what customer centricity is all about. About the product or service the customer expects and receives in a certain degree of consistency. That requires frameworks. What should that consistency be for your company? Is this a certain speed, quality, tone-of-voice, or structure of the hamburger? And yes, of course you can give that little extra in terms of service or a small gift. But the basics is that hamburger, that product.

So, no. Customer centricity is not everybody’s responsibility. The foundation of customer centricity lies with those people who design it. That can be the customer experience team. Or marketing for example, or the customer contact center. They set up frameworks that employees can and will have to stick to. And if you know how to give that little bit extra as an employee... That smile. That service. That real contact with your customer. Then you made it: you are really customer centric. If so, you can be very proud of that.

 

This blog was written for CustomerFirst and published on 16 October 2019

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